Another giant succumbs: Corinthians eliminated from the Libertadores

No miracle comeback. Corinthians fell short of its storied legacy and was eliminated from the 2025 Copa Libertadores in the third qualifying round, just before the group stage. A resilient Barcelona SC of Ecuador held firm, protecting its 3-0 first-leg advantage. Despite a 2-0 defeat in São Paulo, the Ecuadorian side sealed its place in the next round.

The Timão's desolate night contrasted with the euphoria in Asunción's Barrio Obrero, where Cerro Porteño overwhelmed Melgar of Peru with an emphatic 4-2 win, thus sealing their qualification to the group stage.

On the brink of elimination after the drubbing suffered in Guayaquil and with the pressure of an ultimatum from their fans, Corinthians faced the Torero in an atmosphere of hightened tension, something that was reflected on the field of play.

Ramón Díaz's team was anxious and nervous during the 90 minutes, managing to overcome the resistance of Venezuelan goalkeeper José Contreras only in the final minutes of each half.

Ecuadorian defender Felix Torres opened the scoring for the Brazilians in the 40th minute with a superb header, while Peruvian winger Andre Carrillo extended the lead in the 84th minute after receiving a pass from Memphis Depay and seeing his goal validated by the VAR in the face of a possible offside review.

Barcelona played for 34 minutes with 10 men due to the dismissal of Leonai Souza, at 62, for a double yellow card.

El Ciclón comes in strong

Cerro Porteno, a permanent subscriber to the Copa Libertadores with 46 participations, secured its place in the group stage with a 4-2 win over Melgar of Peru in Asuncion.

The goals for the Ciclón del Barrio Obrero were scored by Sergio Araujo (12), Federico Carrizo (56), Francisco da Costa (70) and Alexis Fariña (79). On Melgar's side, Tomás Martínez (45+6,penalty) and Percy Liza (89) added to the scoreboard.

The 1-0 win in Arequipa gave the azulgrana team the peace of mind it needed to face the rematch, and this was reflected in La Nueva Olla, where it imposed the pace of play and took the initiative during the 90 minutes.

The third phase will close on Thursday in Salvador (northeast of Brazil), where the local Bahia and Boston River will have to unravel the 0-0 draw they played in a lackluster match in Montevideo.

The four winners of the third round will advance to the Libertadores group stage, while the losers - Corinthians, Deportes Iquique, Melgar and the eliminated Bahia-Boston River - will be re-seeded in the eight Copa Sudamericana groups.

The draw for the group stage of both tournaments will be held on the 17th of this month, according to Conmebol.